Local high school unveils new mural

The Alamo Square neighborhood will soon look a little different thanks to a new youth art project.

At the end of the month, Ida B. Wells High School will be unveiling a mural on the Fell Street wall of the campus, created with the Help of Kid Serve – an organization that has worked with other schools in the Bay Area. The mural was funded by the Alamo Square Neighborhood Association, the high school and San Francisco Community Challenge said Kid Serve Director Josef Norris.

“We couldn’t do it and wouldn’t want to do it without the neighborhood’s support,” said Norris. “They have been unbelievably supportive.”

“We wanted to be proactive in supporting youth and adding to the beauty and vitality of our neighborhood,” said Marquita Mayes, vice-president of the association. The association donated $4,500 to the project, Mayes added.The project is ongoing and will consist of three murals when completed. The first mural, said Norris, was designed and created by 35 students from Ida B. Wells. It is an image of five of the students jumping towards butterflies, which represent the transformation of students in high school. The mural was created over 16 weeks and will appear “simple” to the people who view it from a distant, but upon closer inspection, they will be able to see images of other portraits the students designed.

Made out of ceramic tiles, the mural represents the school and hope for the future.“It’s something that is positive,” Norris said.

In the beginning of the process, Norris said Kid Serve was concerned about whether the kids would rise to the occasion once they start putting the mural together.